Simple tips for getting good light in outdoor shade

Lighting is key to getting great photos. I talked a little about the different qualities to look for when photographing in shade and today wanted to jump into some additional ways to get good light when photographing in outdoor shade.

I primarily shoot weddings and location portraits and for both of these lighting can always be tricky since you can’t fully control the sun :).

During weddings one common occurrence I find myself in is getting group photo’s on a grassy area that has shade. While the full shade is nice it also would be good to have some bounce light to fill in some of the shadows on people’s faces. This is where a really easy tip comes in handy…

Bring a white bed sheet

Yep, you heard it right a simple white sheet. This is something everyone has and folds into a small space to fit into any camera bag. All you have to do is drop the sheet on the ground in front of the group and let some of the light bounce and fill in some of the shadows. It’s a quick and easy way to generate some fill light for a large area!

Get the subjects as close to the end of the shade

Another quick tip is to always look for the area where the shade ends and get your subjects as close to this as possible. You want them as close to the light as possible to get good light bouncing in. Try to get them as close to the line where the shade ends and sun begins and facing the area of sunlight.

Another thing to look for with photographing in the shade is the color temperature. Shade has a cooler color to it so pay close attention to the white balance setting you are using. I always suggest using the shade color preset or a custom white balance to get a nice warm skin tone.

And remember to move your subjects around and look very closely at how different light is reflecting onto them. Sometimes a small move one foot in a different direction can make all the difference in the world between good and bad light. Look very closely at them and see if there are any unnatural-looking shadows or other issues.

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